Positive Self-Talk

Engage in Positive Self-Talk

Negative Thinking

Negative thinking is defined as a pattern of thinking negatively about yourself and what’s happening around you. Finding yourself in a pattern of negative thinking may indicate a symptom of mental illness, but not everyone who has a mental illness with engage in negative thinking. Just like, some of those who engage in negative thinking may not have a mental illness. Regardless, engaging in negative thinking has been found to be detrimental to your mental health and quality of life (Healthline, 2020).

Types of Negative Thinking (Healthline, 2020)

Personalizing: Blaming yourself.

Magnifying: Focus more on the negatives and ignoring the positives.

Catastrophizing: Expecting the worst and/or not allowing logic or reason to change your mind. I.e., the worst always happens, so it will happen again.

Polarizing: Seeing things as either black and white. Either something is good or bad, with nothing in between.

Leading Causes of Negative Thinking (Smith, E., 2019, June 19)

  1. Fear of the future
  2. Anxiety about the present
  3. Shame about the past
How to stop negative thinking

The key to stop engaging in negative thinking patterns to practice countering or reframing exercises every time you have a negative thought. Ask yourself:

  • Is the thought true?
  • Is the thought increasing or decreasing your sense of power?
  • Can the thought be looked at positively or can you learn anything from the thought?
  • Is the negative thought covering up a larger issue that needs to be resolved?

Recognizing Automatic Thoughts & Combatting Them

CBT Model

Conscious thoughts: Thoughts and choices made with full awareness.

Automatic thoughts: Thoughts and choices made that may not be fully aware to us. These thoughts often flow rapidly and are sometimes not logical.

Schemas: Our core beliefs and personal rules for processing information.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a commonly utilized therapy in social work and helps clients identify and become aware of their automatic thoughts and to alter ones that are deemed negative and illogical. The core beliefs of CBT can be useful for anyone to begin to identify what their automatic thoughts are and their personal narrative they have about themselves (CAMH, 2020).

The best way to combat your negative automatic thoughts is by replacing them with positive automatic thoughts. Increasing your positive automatic thinking has been positively correlated with higher levels of happiness. One way to do this is by utilizing cognitive restructuring. There are four steps to cognitive restructuring:

  • Identify your automatic thoughts,
  • Identify the cognitive distortions (thoughts that perceive reality inaccurately) in the automatic thoughts,
  • Rationally dispute your automatic thoughts by asking questions like those indicated under “How to stop negative thinking” and
  • Then, develop a rational contradiction to combat your negative automatic thoughts.

Implementing mindfulness has also been found to be a beneficial method to reducing negative automatic thinking.

(Selva, J., 2019, October 27)

Bruce Pulver’s Ted Talk on Negative Self-Talk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcRcr8m_WPc

Recognizing Personal Narratives

Self-concept is how you perceive yourself and your past experiences, abilities, and how you view your future. Someone with a negative self-referential schema (negative self-concept) tends to take things more personally and have automatic thoughts such as, “I got a bad grade because I am unintelligent.” A negative self-concept can lead to more severe symptoms of depression. Your personal narrative often is developed based on your self-concept or schema and your thinking patterns. Utilizing the principles of CBT and learning how to combat negative thinking can help change your personal narrative from negative to positive (Selva, J., 2019, October 27).

Being Your Own Cheerleader

Another way to combat negative thinking is by repeating positive affirmations daily to “be your own cheerleader” through life. Positive affirmations are statements that you repeat to yourself that describe how you want to be. The repetition of these positive statements may be useful in replacing negative thoughts and belief systems. Positive affirmations can either be stated in present tense or future dense depending on what resonates most with you.

  • Present tense: “I am...” or “I...”; state that something is happening now or that your goal has already been accomplished
  • Future tense: “I will...”; state that something will happen in the future, whether that be an action you take or something you will change
  • Natural tense: incorporate both present and future tenses

Tips for Success: (freeaffirmations.org)

  • Stand with good posture and state the affirmations confidently, perhaps in front of a mirror
  • Say them one by one, speaking slowly and confidently
  • Consistency is key so try to say them at least two times daily, perhaps once when you wake up and once at bedtime
  • Monitor your mood before and after saying the affirmations
  • Also putting your affirmations in writing can remind you to stay focused on your goals
  • Commit to doing them for at least 30 days

The Power of Mindset

Fixed Mindset v. Growth Mindset

Carol Dweck (2006) through her research found that there are two predominant mindsets a person can have and both come with differing outcomes.

A fixed mindset assumes that our character, intelligence and creative ability are static givens which we cannot change in any meaningful way and success is the affirmation of that inherent intelligence. A fixed mindset values success and avoiding failure as that dictates intelligence and skill.

A growth mindset thrives on challenge and failure and sees both as an opportunity for growth and strengthening our abilities. Either of these mindsets are set early in childhood development and dictate our relationship with success and failure and our capacity for happiness continue throughout our lifetime. A growth mindset instills a passion for learning rather than a hunger for approval, and that qualities such as intelligence and creativity can be cultivated through effort and practice rather than static traits that either exist or not (Dweck, 2006). Those with a growth mindset are better able to take constructive criticism and view criticism as a chance to grow rather than them failing. 

Youtube video on Fixed Mindset v. Growth Mindset:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1CHPnZfFmU

(Dweck, 2006)

Resources: